Adapted from the following:McKenzie, Jamie Learning to Question, to Wonder, to Learn Traver Rob What is a Good Guiding Question? SSABSA Support Materials 2005

Why question?Why bother? Isn’t thinking enough?What’s the difference, anyway? Isn’t questioning and thinking part and parcel of the

same whole?

No. Not exactly. You can have one

without the other.

Thinking is often proclaimed by state and national leaders as a chief goal of schooling, but the brand of thinking that results from these lofty goal statements may fall short of the mark, amounting to what Shakespeare might call “a tale told by an idiot” or what Pink Floyd might call “another brick in the wall.” Jamie McKenzie

From Jamie McKenzie

Types of thinking

The types of thinking on the left side are the ones that require the least amount of questioning

These all share a focus on memorising and absorbing rather than generating and producing. If we expect our young ones to become thinkers, capable of developing ideas and insights instead of merely copying and pasting the thinking or the ideas of others, then questioning becomes paramount, and the importance of the right side of the diagram becomes evident. (Jamie McKenzie)

Questions are the backbone of research

Guiding questions

Are open ended Create multiple answers (they cannot be answered

with a yes or no) Focus the inquiry on the specific topic Are non judgemental Require high level cognitive work to answer them Contain emotive force and intellectual bite Invigorate the study Are succinct – a handful of words yet demand a lot

GUIDING QUESTIONS ARE ALSO KNOWN AS

RESEARCH QUESTIONS.

What is a good sneaker?

Are our immigration policies fair?

What is a good book?

In refining your guiding question it may be useful to:

Identify what you want to investigateAsk if there is a relationship between the

parts of your questionAsk who, what when, where, why, and howMake sure that the question is clearly written

and that each word cannot be misinterpretedBe sure that the question can actually

be researched

A Hypothesis Is a carefully worded, untested statement

that provides a focus for the research. A good hypothesis always leads to

discussion and debateA good hypothesis takes time to word and

may need to be reworked

The Twilight series will have an effect on the reading habits of children.

Women in politics are judged more than their male counterparts, dissuading them from the career.

Leading QuestionsContain their own answers

Why is sexism bad?Why are Smarties better than M&MS?

This type of question advocates the conclusion rather than exploring the idea

Generic QuestionsLack personality and intrinsic interest

You will find these types of questions during such things as job interviews.

They are fine for that situation but not as a research focus.

Other question typesOpen questionsEncourage descriptions, lists, opinions.Used in surveys, interviews etc.

Closed questionsRequire only a short answer, usually yes/no. Traditionally used in tests.Can be used in interviewing & surveys.

Are you ok?

Is all grass green?

Other examples?

How are you feeling?

Why is grass green?

Focus Questions Indicate the course of the study

Directs research in a meaningful way

Example of hypothesis & focus questionsThe AFL needs to revisit the rules for selecting the

Brownlow Medal”

Focus Questions

What are the current issues surrounding the awarding of the best and fairest?

Has there been a change in attitude the game over the last decade and how has it affected the medal?

Should the rules be changed?

Brainstorming and mind-mapping your research question or hypothesis may lead you to many other connected issues, which you then narrow down to several focus questions.

It is from here that you conduct your investigation

Hypothesis, Guiding questions and Focus questions take

time to formulate

You may find that you have to revisit the questions once you have begun

your research.

That is part of the research cycle

The Research Cycle (one model)

Jamie McKenzie

Many year 12 subjects expect this model or something similar

Home EconomicsPhysical EducationTourismChild Studies

Further examplesGuiding Questions Leading QuestionsWho will survive? Should species be allowed to

become extinct?What is a good sneaker? Why is brand X better than

brand Y?Where does the money come from?

Is there equitable distribution of wealth?

What is a good school? How can schools be improved?

Brainstorming DR Ross Todd Rutgers Cissl

Skinny Questions

Understanding questionsShow. List. Name. How many? What?

Deciding questionsExplain. Describe. Identify. Outline. What? Who?

Figuring out questionsCollect. Demonstrate. Classify. How?

Fat Questions

Wondering questionsDistinguish. Analyse. Compare.

Why?

Persuading questionsConnect. Design. Reorganise. How?

Predicting questionsPredict. Judge. Interpret. Assess.

What if?

Inventing questionsHow could? What would happen

if?

Use Inspiration software or any other graphic organiser for brainstorming

Use Wordle to see if you are really on trackWordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. ... The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. ...www.wordle.net